Adge Cutler and his band of zider-zuppin’ Zummerset zealots, The Wurzels, hosted this half-hour early-afternoon show from HTV, providing earthy entertainment in true West Country style.
Fred Wedlock – “The Funnyman of Folk” – provided the comedy while White on Black, a group of two girls (Sue Franklin and Suzi Lawrence) and a boy (Jon Knowler) offered some mellow pop.
Adge Cutler was killed instantly on 5 May 1974 when he crashed his soft-top MGB on a roundabout at the Severn Bridge in Chepstow, Wales, driving home from a Wurzels concert.
Following his death, Fred Wedlock (pictured at right) took over as host, and his natural West Country charisma and sharp comedic timing successfully kept the show afloat.
Under Wedlock’s leadership, the format shifted slightly: instead of The Wurzels serving as the permanent house band, a rotating door of guest musical acts from across the UK folk and pop circuit were brought in to perform.
Wedlock was given his own 1976 spin-off show called Sweet Somerset, and went on to a decades-long career as an HTV regional presenter.
He passed away on 4 March 2010 at the age of 67 in Bath, Somerset, following a brief battle with pneumonia and a subsequent heart attack.
Adge Cutler
The Wurzels
Fred Wedlock
White On Black
Adge Cutler was killed instantly on 5 May 1974 when he crashed his soft-top MGB on a roundabout at the Severn Bridge in Chepstow, Wales, driving home from a Wurzels concert.
